If you find time slowing down as we get closer to the end of the year, there are plenty of cultural exhibitions to keep you centered. Here’s a list of arts alternatives to save you from the season’s shopping crowds and into the New Year:

Moran Prizes Exhibition at Juniper Hall

Boy in Boat Harvey Bay QLD, Trent Mitchell

The Moran Prizes Exhibition showcases the winners and finalists of the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (DMNPP), Australia’s richest art prize and the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prizes. Founded by Doug & Greta Moran and family in 1988, the DMNPP is an annual Australian portrait prize supporting Australian artists and the wider arts community by holding the free Moran Prizes exhibition, now at Juniper Hall Paddington.

When: Until 14 February 2016

Where: Juniper Hall, 250 Oxford Street, Paddington

How much: Free

Aboriginal art gatherings at Redfern

Come along and learn Aboriginal painting techniques from renowned Aboriginal artist Graham Toomey. You’ll find out about the traditional symbology of Aboriginal art and be tutored in technique.

When: Every second Saturday until 27 August 2016

Where: Redfern Community Centre

How much: Free

Brook Andrew at MAAS

Brook Andrew’s locally and internationally-recognised practice interrogates dominant Western narratives, particularly the way in which we frame our colonial history. In this exhibition, he pairs unexpected objects from the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) collection with specially commissioned artworks, to demonstrate the instability of the meaning we attribute to objects.

When: Until 28 August 2016

Where: Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), Ultimo

How much: Adult $12, concession $8

The Greats at AGNSW

A great day out with mum, or a nice opportunity for art history enthusiasts to see some of the world’s greatest masterpieces in the flesh (or oil on canvas). The Greats: masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland brings together Botticelli, Leonardo, Cézanne, Monet, Rubens and other masters under one roof.

Contemporary of young British artists like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry favours a more colourful and wry aesthetic. His feminine alter ego ‘Claire’, flamboyant shrine to the ‘Essex everywoman’, and work spanning ceramics, tapestry and other media are redolent reflections of his life and society.